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Sunday, July 15, 2012

1952 May 15 - 9,642 Entertainers Tested for VD in Busan

The May 15, 1952 article below is from the South Korean newspaper Gyeonghyang Sinmun It reports that of 9,642 entertainers tested for venereal disease in Busan in April of that year, including 5,445 comfort women (military prostitutes), 3,374 tested positive.

The title of the article reads "6,000-plus Hostesses," but it should read "9,000-plus.

Of 6,000-plus Hostesses, 3,000-plus Have VD in Busan

The April test results done on 9,642 entertainers in Busan show that 6,268 tested healthy, but 3,374 tested positive for venereal disease (VD), which is 35% of the total.

Those tested were 1,020 dances, 5,445 comfort women, 1,212 hostesses, 1,182 unlicensed prostitutes, and 783 others. It shows the most common VD was gonorrhea with 2,247 (21.9%) women testing positive. Next was syphilis with 920 women testing positive. 548 others had something else.